Decline in writing accuracy. - Atheist Nexus2018-02-22T07:33:24Zhttp://atheistnexus.org/forum/topics/decline-in-writing-accuracy?groupUrl=linguaphiles&xg_source=activity&feed=yes&xn_auth=noYears ago I saw a multiple-gu…tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-12-01:2182797:Comment:27813882017-12-01T16:35:26.942ZGrinning Cathttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/GrinningCat
<p>Years ago I saw a multiple-guess test whose questions were all about nonsense terms like gostaks and doshes.* Using the axiom that every question has exactly one correct answer, it was possible to find the unique, consistent set of right answers despite knowing nothing about the subject!</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 90%;">* No, not those particular terms. But the story "…</span></p>
<p>Years ago I saw a multiple-guess test whose questions were all about nonsense terms like gostaks and doshes.* Using the axiom that every question has exactly one correct answer, it was possible to find the unique, consistent set of right answers despite knowing nothing about the subject!</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 90%;">* No, not those particular terms. But the story "<a rel="nofollow" href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Avon_Fantasy_Reader/Issue_10/The_Gostak_and_the_Doshes" target="_blank">The Gostak and the Doshes</a>" came to mind. And it turns out there's even an interactive fiction text-adventure game "<a rel="nofollow" href="http://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=w5s3sv43s3p98v45" target="_blank">The Gostak</a>" (free to play online or download) where a major part of the challenge is figuring out the language.</span></p> Ruth and I proofread and actu…tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-12-01:2182797:Comment:27814862017-12-01T16:24:21.402ZGrinning Cathttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/GrinningCat
<p>Ruth and I proofread and actually edit for each other, most recently lots of political letters (see "<a href="http://atheistnexus.org/group/writing-to-congress" rel="nofollow" target="_self">Writing to Congress</a>" and "<a href="http://atheistnexus.org/group/pennsylvaniaatheists/forum/topics/heads-up-pennsylvanians" rel="nofollow" target="_self">Heads Up Pennsylvanians</a>"). It's amazing what misteaks and over sites are <em>completely invisible,</em> what you overlook until someone else…</p>
<p>Ruth and I proofread and actually edit for each other, most recently lots of political letters (see "<a rel="nofollow" href="http://atheistnexus.org/group/writing-to-congress" target="_self">Writing to Congress</a>" and "<a rel="nofollow" href="http://atheistnexus.org/group/pennsylvaniaatheists/forum/topics/heads-up-pennsylvanians" target="_self">Heads Up Pennsylvanians</a>"). It's amazing what misteaks and over sites are <em>completely invisible,</em> what you overlook until someone else looks over your piece... preferably <em>before</em> you put the envelope in the post office's collection box (Ruth sends lots of snail mail -- much more impact than signing petitions), or hit Send!</p>
<p>(My understanding is that legislators' staffers pay attention to paper letters, emails, and phone calls, preferably ones that aren't obviously part of a mass writing campaign, and especially ones that have a personal story. When an issue takes up a lot of staff time, the politician gets an idea that their reelection might depend on doing the right thing.)</p> Yup! And the other classic si…tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-10-27:2182797:Comment:27769832017-10-27T19:14:52.644ZGrinning Cathttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/GrinningCat
<p>Yup! And the other classic sign posing a choice between "libety" and "tranny":</p>
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/u0Vg6BWRUp0ucs1Asf-Lk5erMkF6fot1qYPbg4ZmPrbmoV-M3d*XmMeBRkoLpMFzxN5XLpgLhANPenccIXV0i8sRSo8vDBA*/libetyortranny.jpg" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/u0Vg6BWRUp0ucs1Asf-Lk5erMkF6fot1qYPbg4ZmPrbmoV-M3d*XmMeBRkoLpMFzxN5XLpgLhANPenccIXV0i8sRSo8vDBA*/libetyortranny.jpg?width=300" width="300"></img></a></p>
<p>(Even more relevant these days, with religious conservatives' legislative attempts to prevent trans* folks from peeing in peace in appropriate public…</p>
<p>Yup! And the other classic sign posing a choice between "libety" and "tranny":</p>
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/u0Vg6BWRUp0ucs1Asf-Lk5erMkF6fot1qYPbg4ZmPrbmoV-M3d*XmMeBRkoLpMFzxN5XLpgLhANPenccIXV0i8sRSo8vDBA*/libetyortranny.jpg" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/u0Vg6BWRUp0ucs1Asf-Lk5erMkF6fot1qYPbg4ZmPrbmoV-M3d*XmMeBRkoLpMFzxN5XLpgLhANPenccIXV0i8sRSo8vDBA*/libetyortranny.jpg?width=300" width="300" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>(Even more relevant these days, with religious conservatives' legislative attempts to prevent trans* folks from peeing in peace in appropriate public restrooms!)</p> Sometimes such language leave…tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-10-27:2182797:Comment:27769052017-10-27T19:09:05.923ZGrinning Cathttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/GrinningCat
<p>Sometimes such language leaves me incensed.</p>
<p>(And I don't mean burning sweet-smelling spices!)</p>
<p>Sometimes such language leaves me incensed.</p>
<p>(And I don't mean burning sweet-smelling spices!)</p> Yes! All the special-case rul…tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-10-27:2182797:Comment:27771732017-10-27T19:06:53.453ZGrinning Cathttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/GrinningCat
<p>Yes! All the special-case rules, and things we have to simply memorize! Never mind the words we've borrowed from all over the globe; I remember reading about how <strong>English spelling is a "fossil record" of earlier pronunciations</strong>, now forgotten. Spelling moved towards being standardized (or standardised :-) with the rise of printing, around the same time major shifts in pronunciation, including the Great Vowel Shift, were happening.</p>
<p>(Don't have links handy, except for…</p>
<p>Yes! All the special-case rules, and things we have to simply memorize! Never mind the words we've borrowed from all over the globe; I remember reading about how <strong>English spelling is a "fossil record" of earlier pronunciations</strong>, now forgotten. Spelling moved towards being standardized (or standardised :-) with the rise of printing, around the same time major shifts in pronunciation, including the Great Vowel Shift, were happening.</p>
<p>(Don't have links handy, except for Douglas Harper's Online Etymology Dictionary off the top of my head: <a href="https://www.etymonline.com/" target="_blank">www.etymonline.com</a>. From there I learned that "one", with its spelling weirdly disconnected from the pronunciation we know, originally sounded like "own", as in "only", "alone", and "atone". A 14th-century regional pronunciation from southwest and west England ended up taking over by the 18th century.)</p>
<p>At least the grammar is reasonably simple, compared to many of the world's languages!</p>
<p></p> (from cheezburger.com, h/t R…tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-10-06:2182797:Comment:27731252017-10-06T23:59:39.423ZGrinning Cathttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/GrinningCat
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/WDEpYdsbpoP*1N184azLoFOvts-V*rbjM-hX98R*g11oCVdJNewsfMBzynUmHDbKi1uNLNWCLhPnyu*m7LvDgRg7beBcRN1R/daysofusingproperEnglisharewent.png" target="_self"><img alt="Sad-looking dog: 'Sadly, the days of using proper English are went.'" class="align-full" src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/WDEpYdsbpoP*1N184azLoFOvts-V*rbjM-hX98R*g11oCVdJNewsfMBzynUmHDbKi1uNLNWCLhPnyu*m7LvDgRg7beBcRN1R/daysofusingproperEnglisharewent.png?width=350" width="350"></img></a></p>
<p>(<a href="https://cheezburger.com/9081018368/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">from cheezburger.com</a>, h/t…</p>
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/WDEpYdsbpoP*1N184azLoFOvts-V*rbjM-hX98R*g11oCVdJNewsfMBzynUmHDbKi1uNLNWCLhPnyu*m7LvDgRg7beBcRN1R/daysofusingproperEnglisharewent.png" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/WDEpYdsbpoP*1N184azLoFOvts-V*rbjM-hX98R*g11oCVdJNewsfMBzynUmHDbKi1uNLNWCLhPnyu*m7LvDgRg7beBcRN1R/daysofusingproperEnglisharewent.png?width=350" width="350" class="align-full" alt="Sad-looking dog: 'Sadly, the days of using proper English are went.'"/></a></p>
<p>(<a rel="nofollow" href="https://cheezburger.com/9081018368/" target="_blank">from cheezburger.com</a>, h/t Ruth)</p> Even my spell checker missed…tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-08-27:2182797:Comment:27627562017-08-27T04:00:41.457ZJoan Denoohttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/JoanDenoo
<p>Even my spell checker missed a few mistakes. </p>
<p>Even my spell checker missed a few mistakes. </p> Where is Muriel when we need…tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-08-27:2182797:Comment:27627532017-08-27T03:37:22.897ZJoan Denoohttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/JoanDenoo
<p>Where is Muriel when we need her? </p>
<p>Where is Muriel when we need her? </p> tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-08-24:2182797:Comment:27623892017-08-24T20:48:29.617ZGrinning Cathttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/GrinningCat
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/Nz4GGR45GbTTcefJgt0mwE17130t4TDGjHueOJR3SOXfJd--jpGhnijgBWf8KQVC8W8O0JbsqAEUg5pD9QM8GbE5axTjHm*Q/Theiyreretakethatgrammarpolice.jpg" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/Nz4GGR45GbTTcefJgt0mwE17130t4TDGjHueOJR3SOXfJd--jpGhnijgBWf8KQVC8W8O0JbsqAEUg5pD9QM8GbE5axTjHm*Q/Theiyreretakethatgrammarpolice.jpg?width=270" width="270" class="align-full" alt="Theiyre're - take that, grammar police!"/></a></p>
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/Nz4GGR45GbTTcefJgt0mwE17130t4TDGjHueOJR3SOXfJd--jpGhnijgBWf8KQVC8W8O0JbsqAEUg5pD9QM8GbE5axTjHm*Q/Theiyreretakethatgrammarpolice.jpg" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/Nz4GGR45GbTTcefJgt0mwE17130t4TDGjHueOJR3SOXfJd--jpGhnijgBWf8KQVC8W8O0JbsqAEUg5pD9QM8GbE5axTjHm*Q/Theiyreretakethatgrammarpolice.jpg?width=270" width="270" class="align-full" alt="Theiyre're - take that, grammar police!"/></a></p> An editor at The Grauniad Gua…tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-08-14:2182797:Comment:27605352017-08-14T20:03:00.159ZGrinning Cathttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/GrinningCat
<p>An editor at <em>The <span style="text-decoration-line: line-through;">Grauniad</span> Guardian</em> writes about their <em>increase</em> in accuracy:</p>
<blockquote><p>To return to spelling, you doubt that we have made "vast improvements"? How about this 45-year-old cutting from the paper:</p>
<p>"The Republican National Comittee decided in the spring that its chances of the White House in 1964 would be very slim indeed if it did not capture California, the second largest state, in 1962.…</p>
</blockquote>
<p>An editor at <em>The <span style="text-decoration-line: line-through;">Grauniad</span> Guardian</em> writes about their <em>increase</em> in accuracy:</p>
<blockquote><p>To return to spelling, you doubt that we have made "vast improvements"? How about this 45-year-old cutting from the paper:</p>
<p>"The Republican National Comittee decided in the spring that its chances of the White House in 1964 would be very slim indeed if it did not capture California, the second largest state, in 1962. Nobody less than its strongest possible vote-getter would do to defeat the incumbent Governor, Edmund (Pat) Brown. When it said this, Mr Nion was looking towards Washington, but the committee was liiking at Mr Nixon. He would have to oick the candidate, and if he oicked another man, eho lost, the party would be loth to nominate for the Preidency a national leader whose influence could not carry his own state in a state election. Yet, if Mr Noxon ran himself and won, he would practiclly forsweat the presidency; for, like allaspiring governors, he has been bocal and bitter about men who use the governor's mansion as a springboard int the White House."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>(<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/aug/24/grauniad-spelling-grammar-subeditors" target="_blank">Mind your language: The style guide editor on … forsweating all errors</a>, David Marsh)</p>
<p>"<em>Bocal</em> and bitter" -- does that describe a bassonist who's been told yet again, "I just <em>love</em> the sound of the oboe"?</p>
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/2TOHmzkKZE1adbx6xQQZJbhdOefUg*7aYX6n2*hUnmRCQmkB1p2wkj5iatPQ9urqo3J3rk5k3AOnLFWeBzwmOYukMJbhCKtY/bassoonistBenjaminOpp.jpg" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/2TOHmzkKZE1adbx6xQQZJbhdOefUg*7aYX6n2*hUnmRCQmkB1p2wkj5iatPQ9urqo3J3rk5k3AOnLFWeBzwmOYukMJbhCKtY/bassoonistBenjaminOpp.jpg?width=200" width="200" class="align-full"/></a>(<a href="http://www.benjaminopp.com/" target="_blank">image source</a>, way out of context!)</p>